I manage UGC production for about 10-15 creators at any given time, and I’ve noticed something that wastes massive amounts of money and time: the content briefs we send are absolute garbage.
They’re usually something like: “Create a 15-second video about why our product is amazing. Make it feel authentic. Use trending audio.” And then we’re shocked when creators send back content that doesn’t fit our brand, misses the key messaging, or feels generic.
The problem isn’t the creators. It’s that we’re not actually being specific about what we need.
Here’s what I changed:
Instead of writing vague briefs, I started including:
- The actual problem we’re solving (e.g., “Everyone’s tired of password managers feeling corporate”)
- Who the audience is (not just “millennials,” but “people who work in tech, value privacy, skeptical of corporate solutions”)
- What feeling we want (“playful and irreverent, not corporate”)
- Specific things to include (“mention the autofill feature directly,” “show it working on mobile”)
- Things NOT to do (“don’t talk about enterprise plans,” “don’t use inspirational music”)
- Example references (actual videos from competitors or similar brands, not just generic “authentic” vibes)
I also started giving creators more autonomy within that framework. Like, I tell them what to communicate and the tone, but I let them figure out the creative execution. That’s where authenticity actually comes from.
The results:
- First-take approval rate went from ~40% to ~75%
- Creators actually enjoy the process more (they know what we want)
- Content performs better because it’s clearer and more purposeful
- Revision cycles dropped from 2-3 rounds to usually just 1
What I’m still figuring out:
- How to brief creators globally without losing cultural nuance (working in US and Russian markets, the references that land are totally different)
- How to scale this without spending hours on each brief
- How to let creators stay authentic while still hitting brand requirements
One thing that helped: I started filming reference videos with my team showing examples of good vs. bad UGC for our brand. Takes 20 minutes, saves hours in revision hell.
I’m also experimenting with giving creators the actual marketing angle—what problem are we really solving, not just “here’s our product.” Creators make better content when they understand the strategy.
How are you all structuring your UGC briefs? Are you seeing the same approval rate problems I was having? And for those working across multiple markets—how are you adapting briefs so they don’t feel like translations?